Whitecaps hope to give opponents a hair-raising experience

Whitecaps player Erik Hurtado sports a new haircut as he talks to the media prior to practise at BC Place on Tuesday.Photo by
Gerry Kahrmann

VANCOUVER - Their signature hair, and how it’s styled at any particular time, is always going to be a talking point with the golden-maned Erik Hurtado and the cornrow-sporting Darren Mattocks.

But ever since Hurtado, the second-year Whitecap, caught fire with five goals in five games after replacing an injured Mattocks as a straight-out striker, the intriguing question has been this: Can the best coiffed Caps outside of Russell Teibert somehow be utilized together to terrorize MLS opponents with their pace?

The answer could very well come tonight at BC Place Stadium as the Caps make their first home appearance in four weeks.

With Mattocks, the Jamaican speedster, fully healthy now that his wonky hamstring has healed, he could get the start on left wing when the Caps take on the Montreal Impact, the Eastern Conference cellar-dwellers.

Coach Carl Robinson has toyed with Mattocks, who was off to a strong start this season before pulling up lame, on the left a couple of times. In the Caps’ last game before the World Cup break, Mattocks came on as a 74th minute substitute and drew a penalty — converted by Pedro Morales — on a turn-on-the-jets run into the box.

Mattocks, who had his cornrows pulled back into a tight, mini-ponytail Tuesday, has been champing at the bit to get back into the starting lineup, especially after watching two weeks of superlative World Cup action on television.

“To see those guys doing so well on the biggest stage gives you goose bumps, try and play to their level and do what they do,” said Mattocks, who spent a week of the break back home in Jamaica.

“I’ve been dying (without a game to play). I’m going to be pumped and excited and ready to go for (tonight).”

Hurtado feels the same way.

“I’m ready to go tomorrow. Couldn’t be more ready.”

Mattocks, who had a reputation in his first couple of seasons in Vancouver for being more concerned at times with his own status than that of the team, seems to have matured under Robinson’s understated guidance.

Mattocks said Hurtado has been “fantastic” at striker and deserves the opportunity to continue to produce from that position.

“Obviously, what Erik is doing … keep it going. I’m not going to be a selfish teammate. Erik’s been good and the guys around him have been good.

“Robbo’s doing a fantastic job of rotating the squad. I’m all in for the team.”

Hurtado, whose nicknames include “EMoney,” showed up at practice on Tuesday with an intricate design cut into the right side of his head, just below his gold-tinged Mohawk. There was a fancy capital E, in front of a $.

“Before the break, I had the star in there. I just want to keep changing it up,” said a grinning Hurtado.

With eight games over the next five weeks, “changing it up” may well be Robinson’s mantra as he tries to keep his roster fresh and rested. This season’s increased depth will be tested, he said, adding that everyone will get a chance over the busy period, which includes a game Saturday in Colorado and a Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday stretch in mid-July.

Uruguayan playmakers Sebastian Fernandez and Nicolas Mezquida, each with two goals on the season, are part of the attacking player options, as are Kekuta Manneh (three goals, one assist) and young Canadian Teibert.

Robinson said he’s “very interested” in throwing his three speed-burners — Hurtado, Mattocks and Manneh, who has been at his best coming off the bench — out together at some point.

“Whether that’s on Wednesday, or Saturday, I haven’t decided yet,” said Robinson. “You will see them (together) at some stage. I’ve said that from day one.

“We’ve got fantastic options whether we decide to put players in there who want the ball and are more comfortable in possession or maybe counter-attacking players.”

Based on the way the Caps lined up at practice this week, giving Mattocks the shot at left wing tonight seems a good possibility.

“Yeah,” said Hurtado when asked if he was excited about the prospect of he and Mattocks running at a slow-footed Montreal defence.

“Any lineup that gets put on the field I’m excited about because we have such good depth on our team.”

THREE THEMES

MAINTAINING MOMENTUM

The Vancouver Whitecaps were on a nice roll before MLS took a break for the group stage of the World Cup. Despite some shaky moments where defending was an issue, the Caps were undefeated in a club-record seven games (3-0-4) and scoring in bunches. But with a full 17 days since their last game, will they be sharp? Will the offensive chemistry that allowed them to score nine goals over their last three games still be there? “Having a week off (from practice), sometimes you come in and it’s a little lethargic, but everybody came in, high spirits, almost like the first day of the season,” said fullback Jordan Harvey. “It’s been really great training sessions the last week.”

EASTERN DOMINANCE

The West is generally considered the stronger conference in MLS, but the Whitecaps’ play against the East the last year and a half has been phenomenal. After going 7-2-1 against Eastern opponents last season, the Caps are 3-0-2 this season against teams from that conference. And now they get the goal-starved, defensively porous Impact, the only MLS team not to have a win on the road this season (0-4-2). Montreal has scored just 13 goals in 13 games in 2014 and has allowed four goals in a game three times this season, including twice in their last three games. Yet, Caps head coach Carl Robinson managed to keep a straight face this week when he suggested “they’re a very good team … individually, player for player, they have a fantastic squad.”

FRESH START

Sure it’s a cliché, but after a disappointing 2-7-4 start to the season, it’s what the Montreal Impact are clinging to as they resume play after the World Cup break. “Maybe it’s difficult to think about this, but we can start from the beginning again and we’ll see what’s going to happen,” defender Matteo Ferrari told reporters in Montreal this week. “The standings aren’t nice, but it’s also not impossible to be there with the other teams fighting for the playoffs. We still believe in that.” The Impact did beat Toronto in the Amway Canadian championship, but are last in the East, eight points out of a playoff spot, although they do have games in hand on most teams. Tonight, however, they are missing two key players to leg injuries — influential midfielder Justin Mapp (a team-leading four assists) and veteran striker Marco Di Vaio.

PLAYER TO WATCH

DARREN MATTOCKS, Whitecaps

Displaced at striker by the sizzling hot Erik Hurtado (goals in five consecutive games), the Jamaican flash, who was having a strong season himself until pulling a hamstring, is anxious to return to prominence. As a substitute in the Caps’ last game, he drew the penalty that Pedro Morales converted to earn Vancouver a 3-3 draw in Philadelphia. Mattocks has been lining up on left wing in practice the past week, a position where he can use his pace to create even more opportunities for a club that is tied for second in MLS with 14.85 shots per game.

JACK McINERNEY, Impact

Montreal acquired the American-born striker from Philadelphia earlier in the season and he’s been an efficient addition with four goals off just seven shots on target in eight games. He’s not overpowering physically and doesn’t generally score memorable goals. He’s a classic poacher. “Jack, he’s a striker, he finds his moments,” says Montreal coach Frank Klopas. “He’s always around the goal and that’s a very good sign.” Says McInerney: “It’s really about momentum and confidence. Hopefully, I can keep it going.”

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